Tag Archives: Cyborg

Health

Scientists Create Semi-Living ‘Cyborg’ Cells That Could Transform Medicine : ScienceAlert

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Through a complex chemical process, scientists have been able to develop versatile, synthetic ‘cyborg’ cells in the lab. They share many characteristics of living cells while lacking the ability to divide and grow.

That non-replication part is important. For artificial cells to be useful, they need to be carefully controlled, and that can’t happen as easily if they’re propagating in the same way that actual cells do.

The researchers behind the new development think these cyborgs could have a huge variety of applications, from improving treatments for diseases like cancer to cleaning up pollution through targeted chemical processes.

“The cyborg cells are programmable, do not divide, preserve essential cellular activities, and gain nonnative abilities,” says biomedical engineer Cheemeng Tan from the University of California, Davis.

Cell engineering is currently based on two key approaches: genetically remodeling existing cells to give them new functions (more flexible but also able to reproduce) and building synthetic cells from scratch (which can’t replicate but have limited biological functions).

These cyborg cells are the result of a new, third strategy. The researchers took bacterial cells as their foundation and added elements from an artificial polymer. Once inside the cell, the polymer was exposed to ultraviolet light to build it into a hydrogel matrix by cross-linking, mimicking a natural extracellular matrix.

While able to maintain much of their normal biological functions, these cyborg cells proved to be more resistant to stressors like high pH and antibiotic exposure – stressors that would kill off normal cells. Much like actual cyborgs, they’re tough.

“Cyborg cells preserve essential functions, including cellular metabolism, motility, protein synthesis, and compatibility with genetic circuits,” write the researchers in their published paper.

Lab tests on tissue samples showed that the newly developed cells were able to invade cancer cells, highlighting the potential of these modified biological building blocks for health treatments further down the line – they could one day be used to deliver drugs to very specific parts of the body.

That’s still a long way off, as promising as these early results are. The researchers say they now want to experiment with the use of different materials to create these cells, as well as investigate how they could be used.

It’s also not clear exactly what is stopping the cells from replicating, which needs to be determined. The authors think the hydrogel matrix may stop cell division by inhibiting cell growth or DNA replication, or both.

The blending of the natural and the artificial demonstrated here in some ways takes the best elements of both, opening up new possibilities – a state of “quasi vita” or “almost life”, as the researchers put it.

“We are interested in the bioethics of applying cyborg cells as they are cell-derived biomaterials that are neither cells nor materials,” says Tan.

The research has been published in Advanced Science.

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Science

Researchers make cyborg cockroaches that carry their own power packs

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Kenjiro Fukuda, RIKEN

Have you ever thought you’d be seeing a cyborg cockroach that runs on solar power and carries a backpack that looks like an electric circuit? A team of researchers at Japan’s RIKEN research institute has turned a regular Madagascar hissing cockroach into a real cyborg insect by connecting a lithium battery, a solar cell, multiple wires, and a tiny electronic circuit. The cyborg can be controlled using Bluetooth signals, and the researchers suggest that, in the future, such robo-bugs could be employed for search-and-rescue missions.

The researchers refer to their cyborg as an insect-computer hybrid system, and it incorporates a living insect as a platform and a mini-electronic system as its controller. Basically, it’s a biobot that can be controlled like a robot, but it has the power to explore and navigate a complex environment with the proficiency of an insect. The researchers claim that insect cyborgs could even beat traditional soft robots when it comes to usefully navigating the real world.

Going solar

Keeping the body shape of the 6-cm-long cockroach in mind, the researchers designed a polymer backpack that could carry all the electronic equipment without disturbing the insect when it moved. The backpack carried an electronic controller, a lithium battery, and multiple wires. Each wire was connected to the controller on one side and to different legs of the cockroach on the other.

Whenever the researchers want the cockroach to move, they send a Bluetooth signal to the circuit board, which transmits electric current to the legs via the wires. These currents mimic sensory input that directs the roach to move to the right or left, taking advantage of reflexive behavior. The roach’s brain is still needed to activate its muscles and get the cockroach to move.

However, the researchers soon realized that a cyborg insect might be required to function for many days or even weeks. The tiny lithium battery won’t be enough to meet the energy demands for that long, and, since the cockroach’s brain is intact, it may abandon any mission it was sent on and run away.

To boost the energy supply, an ultrathin solar cell was created and planted on the cockroach’s abdomen to overcome this issue. Despite being only 4×10⁻³ mm thick, the solar cell provided 50 times the power needed for the control unit. Unfortunately, it was wide enough to hinder the movement of the cockroach. During initial testing, the researchers found that the insect was moving at half of its original speed, and every time it flipped or fell, it wasn’t able to get back to its normal orientation.

The researchers made some adjustments to the position and arrangement of the cell, and finally, they were able to equip the cyborg cockroach with a solar cell and battery that provided 17.2 mW of power.

While explaining the significance of the solar cell unit further, research scientists and one of the authors of the study, Kenjiro Fukuda, told Ars Technica, “To achieve the urban rescue task, cyborg insects contain computers to control the locomotion, sensors for searching [for] people, and wireless communication device. These require 10-100 mW of total power consumption. Therefore, energy-harvesting devices mounted on the insects are crucial for increasing the range of activity and functionality of biobots.”

He also said that other scientists proposed additional types of biorobots ranging from moth robots to cyborg beetles. However, most of these cyborg insects lack energy-harvesting devices on their body because the area and load of the harvesting device considerably impair their mobility. So adding a suitable energy-harvesting device (the solar cell) for recharging the electronic controlling unit on a cyborg insect has been one of the main achievements of their research.

Cyborgs vs. soft robots

It may seem more practical and easy to use soft robots instead of cyborg insects for search-and-rescue missions. Soft robots would never abandon the mission like cyborg cockroaches; plus, they can be made faster and more efficient. So then, why do we need cyborg insects? The answer is energy and cost—to turn a cockroach into a cyborg, all we need is a miniature circuit, an energy source, some wires, a controlling unit, and a polymer backpack. A soft robot is entirely made from scratch.

Although connecting the wires to a cockroach’s legs may seem time-consuming, the amount of time required to construct a soft robot is greater. Moreover, such robots have high energy demands compared to their insect counterparts. “We control the locomotion of insects by using electric signals to sensory nerves. This approach requires a power consumption of ~100 uW, which is much smaller than the required power consumption of moving actuators for small robots (typically 100 mW or larger),” said Fukuda.

Apart from having the capabilities of a robot, a cyborg cockroach navigates an environment using the input it receives from its natural senses. This is something a soft robot can never accomplish, and therefore, the researchers argue that cyborg insects could provide better assistance during search-and-rescue missions compared to any other technology. Fukuda and his team are now planning to make cyborg versions of other types of insects, including ones that can fly.

npj Flexible Electronics, 2022. DOI: 10.1038/s41528-022-00207-2 (About DOIs)

Rupendra Brahambhatt is an experienced journalist and filmmaker. He covers science and culture news, and for the last five years, he has been actively working with some of the most innovative news agencies, magazines, and media brands operating in different parts of the globe.

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Technology

Robotic engineers are creating cyborg cockroaches, roboflys and more

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Inspired by insects, robotic engineers are creating machines that could aid in search-and-rescue, pollinate plants and sniff out gas leaks

October 8, 2022 at 7:00 a.m. EDT

(Kenjiro Fukuda/RIKEN Thin-Film Device Laboratory)

Cyborg cockroaches that find earthquake survivors. A “robofly” that sniffs out gas leaks. Flying lightning bugs that pollinate farms in space.

These aren’t just buzzy ideas, they’re becoming reality.

Robotic engineers are scouring the insect world for inspiration. Some are strapping 3D printed sensors onto live Madagascar hissing cockroaches, while others are creating fully robotic bugs inspired by the ways insects move and fly.

Heavy robots are limited in what they can do. Building tinier and more agile robots, similar to how insects move and act, could vastly expand robots’ capabilities.

“If we think about the insect functions that animals can’t do,” said Kevin Chen, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at MIT, “that inspires us to think about what smaller, insect-scale robots can do, that larger robots cannot.”

Google is training its robots to be more like humans

Most of the advances are in the research phase, years from commercialization. But they present tantalizing solutions for an array of industries, including emergency response, farming and energy.

The research is picking up the pace for a few reasons, experts said. Electronic sensors are getting smaller and better, largely because of smartwatch research. Fabrication techniques have advanced, making it easier to construct tiny parts. Small battery technology is also improving.

But several challenges remain. Tiny robots cannot replicate a larger robot’s workload. Although batteries are improving, they would need to be smaller and more powerful. Miniature parts that convert energy into robotic motion, called actuators, need to become more efficient. Sensors have to be even lighter.

“We start by looking at how insects solve these problems, and we’re making a lot of progress,” said Sawyer B. Fuller, an assistant professor who directs the Autonomous Insect Robotics Laboratory at the University of Washington. “But there’s a lot of things … we don’t have yet.”

Much of insect robot research can be divided into a few areas, researchers said. Some scientists build an entire robot to mimic the motion and size of real insects, such as bees and lightning bugs. Others put electronics on live insects and control them, essentially creating cyborgs (beings that have both organic and mechanical aspects). While some are experimenting with a hybrid — connecting parts of a live insect, such as an antennae, to a machine robot.

Robotic engineers started looking to insects for inspiration about 10 to 15 years ago. At the time, few research labs were studying it. “Ten years ago, I frankly think it sounded more like science fiction,” Chen said.

But over the years, more researchers have gotten into the space, largely because technology is advancing. Much of the activity has been driven by developments in carbon fibers and lasers, which can make “very fine features and complex structures” at a small scale, Chen added.

Electronic sensors have also gotten better, in large part because smartphones and smartwatches have spurred research to make tinier electronic parts.

“If you think about your smartphone, there are so many sensors within that,” Chen said. “You can really leverage a lot of those sensors or put those sensors into micro-scale robots.”

(Video: Kenjiro Fukuda/RIKEN Thin-Film Device Laboratory)

Kenjiro Fukuda, a researcher at Japan’s Riken Institute Thin-Film Device Laboratory, leads a team that is strapping 3D-printed sensors onto live Madagascar hissing cockroaches. The sensors function like a tiny backpack containing solar panels for power; a blue-tooth sensor for remote control and specialized computers that connect to the cockroach’s abdomen and send tiny shocks to direct it left or right.

Fukuda envisions these cyborg cockroaches helping in emergency situations, such as an earthquake. Survivors might be in the rubble and hard to spot from the naked eye, he said.

The cockroaches could be remote-controlled, and released into the rubble with carbon dioxide sensors and cameras on their backs, helping find people that need saving.

“Big people cannot enter under the rubble,” Fukuda said. “Small insects or small robots can.”

Fukuda said he could also apply this approach to other insects with large shells, such as beetles and cicadas. But many improvements need to be made to battery design and how much power the parts consume before this solution is deployed in real life, he said.

When it comes to cyborg insects, not everyone is excited. Jeff Sebo, an animal bioethics professor at New York University, said he worries how live insects might feel being controlled by humans while carrying heavy technology. It’s unclear if they feel pain or distress from it, he said, but that doesn’t mean humans should ignore that.

“We’re not even paying lip service to their welfare or rights,” he said. “We’re not even going through the motion of having laws or policies or review boards in place so that we can halfheartedly try to reduce the harms that we impose on them.”

Chen is creating flying lightning bug robots. These are fully robotic machines that mimic the way lightning bugs move, communicate and fly.

Inspired by the way lightning bugs use electroluminescence to glow and communicate in real life, Chen’s team built soft artificial muscles for flying that control robot wings and emit colored light during flight.

This could enable a swarm of these robots to communicate with each other, Chen said, and could be used to pollinate crops in vertical farms or even in space.

“If I want to grow crops in space, [I want] pollination,” he said. “In that scenario, a flying robot would be much, much more suitable than sending bees.”

Fuller said he looks to insects when creating tiny robots because it’s far better than relying on his imagination. “You see insects doing crazy things that you would just never be able to do at human scale,” he said. “We just look at how insects do it.”

(Video: Matt Stone/University of Washington)

(Video: University of Washington)

Fuller’s team is working to construct a robotic fly. Similar to the cyborg cockroaches, the flies could be used in search-and-rescue missions. They could also be unleashed to fly around and look for chemical leaks in the air or cracks in piping infrastructure.

“You open a suitcase and these little robotic flies fly around,” he said. “Then, once you know where the leak is, you can patch it.”

Fuller said he acknowledges there is a long way to go before his robots can do that. It will be difficult to miniaturize all the sensors, power packs and parts needed for robots to move and send data back to teams. Making batteries that are small enough but powerful enough to emit energy needed for robotic functions is a daunting challenge. Stabilizing robots that can flap their wings and fly but also carry sensors will take more design research.

Despite the difficulties, he said that scientists are also working to take parts of a live insect, such as moth antennae, and attach them to a robot that could one day read data from it. This hybrid method could be a sweet spot for insect robot researchers, he said.

“I think that’s the path to go,” Fuller added. “Take bits of the biology that really works well and do the rest robotically.”

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Sports

Bellator 279 results: Live streaming play-by-play updates | Cyborg vs. Blencowe 2

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Bellator MMA will stage its second event in as many nights later TONIGHT (Sat., April 23, 2022) as Bellator 279 goes down from inside Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii. Headlining the event is a women’s Featherweight title fight as Cris Cyborg defends her belt against Arlene Blencowe for the second time. Also, the Bantamweight Grand Prix kicks off with Patchy Mix taking on Kyoji Horiguchi. In the co-main event, Juan Archuleta will battle Raufeon Stots in an interim Bantamweight title fight.

Bellator 279’s main card will air on Showtime at 10:30 p.m. ET, with “Prelims” undercard action beginning at 8 p.m. ET. MMAmania.com will deliver results for the full card and comprehensive play-by-play for the televised portion of Bellator 279 below.

Many readers check in before, during and after the fights to share their thoughts on all of the action. Feel free to leave a comment (or 279) about the bouts and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show — it’s always a lot of fun!

BELLATOR 279 QUICK RESULTS:

145 lbs.: Champion Cris Cyborg  vs. Arlene Blencowe – Cyborg via unanimous decision (HIGHLIGHTS)
135 lbs.: Raufeon Stots vs Juan Archuleta – Stots wins via third-round knockout (HIGHLIGHTS)
125 lbs.: Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Justine Kish – Kish via unanimous decision
135 lbs.: Patchy Mix vs. Kyoji Horiguchi – Mix via unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Emmanuel Sanchez vs. Yancy Medeiros – Medeiros via unanimous decision
170 lbs.: Goiti Yamauchi vs Levan Chokheli – Yamauchi, first round submission (armbar)
155 lbs.: Keoni Diggs vs Bobby King – King via split decision
145 lbs.: Janay Harding vs. Dayan Silva – Silva via unanimous decision
145 lbs.: Kai Kamaka III vs. Justin Gonzalez – Gonzalez via split decision
155 lbs.: Lance Gibson Jr. vs. Naino Dung – Gibson Jr. via unanimous decision
120 lbs.: Randi Field vs. Maraya Miller – Field via second round submission (rear-naked choke)
135 lbs.: Ryan Dela Cruz vs. Jordan Winski – Winksi via unanimous decision
125 lbs.: Sumiko Inaba vs. Whittany Pyles – Inaba via first round knockout

BELLATOR 279 PLAY-BY-PLAY

Champion Cris Cyborg vs. Arlene Blencowe

Round 1: Cyborg lands a couple of let hands. Blencowe staying in the pocket, exchanging strikes with Cyborg. Nice kick to the body from the champion. Cyborg pushed Blencowe up against the fence. Knees to the thigh. High kicks lands for Cyborg. Left hook from Cyborg. Blencowe lands a nice right hand. Cyborg lands a huge right hand and drops Blencowe. Cyborg goes in for the kill but Blencowe survives. A pause in action as the referee says Cyborg kneed her down opponent to the head. Not sure if a point is taken away from Cyborg. Action resumes and Cyborg gets the takedown. Head kick lands for Cyborg. Blencowe survives a tough first round. 10-9 Cyborg

Round 2: Cyborg attacking the lead leg, Blencowe counters with a right hand. Cyborg coming forward. Double jab from the champion. Cyborg seems to be bleeding from her ear. Blencowe goes downstairs with an inside leg kick. Cybor with a stiff right hand, stops Blencowe’s forward momentum. Cyborg changes levels and goes in for the takedown, stuffed. Cyborg clinches and pushes Blencowe up against the cage. Cyborg still trying for the takedown but Blencowe escapes. Blencowe is now cut above her left eye. Nice right hand lands for Blencowe. Cyborg seems to have damage on her left eye. Both of these ladies are throwing bombs! Cyborg misses on the high kick but she tags Blencowe with a solid shot to close out the round. 10-9 Cyborg.

Round 3: Head kick by Cyborg, follows it up with a kick to the legs. Cyborg’s left eye seems to be swelling up. Nice leg kicks from the challenger. Cyborg returns fire with the same. Inside leg kick from Cyborg lands. Blencowe tags Cyborg with a left hook and knocks her off balance to the canvas. Cyborg smiles and gets right back up. Front kick from Cyborg. Nice right hand straight down the pipe for Blencowe. Both of these ladies are getting busted up, bloodied, bruised. Cyborg working the lead leg again. Overhand right from Cyborg. Head kick blocked by Blencowe. Inside leg kick from the champion. Outside leg kick for Cyobrg, checked by Blencowe, who rushes in with a one-two. Blencowe is putting on the pressure, Cyborg not retreating. Close round. 10-9 Blencowe

Round 4: Who had this fight going to the championship rounds? Front kick to begin for Cyborg. Blencowe throws a looping right hand. Nice right hand from Blencowe. Cyborg again working the lead leg, peppering away. Right hand lands for Cyborg. Blencowe again knocks Cyborg off balance, the fence keeps her up. Cyborg grabs a hold of Blencowe and takes her for a ride with a HUGE suplex. Brock Lesnar would be proud. Side control now for Cyborg. Cyborg working an arm, possible kimura attempt. Blencowe trying to circle away. North-South position for Cyborg, back to side control. She lets her up. Blencowe throws a wild right hand, doesn’t land. Shot to the body for Blencowe. Kick to the stomach from Cyborg, follows it up with a sharp jab that lands flush. They are trading in the center of the cage as the round comes to an end. 10-9 Cyborg

Round 5: Nice jab from Blencowe. Inside leg kick from Cyborg. Solid right hand from Cyborg rocks Blencowe, who is still hanging in there. She is one tough cookie. Another right hand sends Blencowe stumbling back. Head kick from Cyborg. Blencowe still coming forward, eats a left hand. Spinning back kick lands for Cyborg. Jab from Cyborg. Front kick from Cyborg lands. Three-punch combination rattles Blencowe. Blencowe scores with a left hand. Blencowe’s eye is bleeding badly. Inside leg kick for Cyborg, she’s been going to that well all night long. Blencowe challenges Cyborg to stand and bang in the center of the cage. Cyborg suing her jab. Blencowe pressuring, sensing she needs the finish. Cyborg with a huge left hand. Blencowe is bleeding profusely as the fight comes to an end. 10-9 Cyborg

Final result: Cyborg def. Blencowe via unanimous decision

Raufeon Stots vs. Juan Archuleta

Round 1: Stots tags Archuleta right away. They come out swinging hard early. Archuleta stumbles forward. Intense pace to begin this title fight. Archuleta changes levels and lands a huge takedown on Stots. Archuleta has a tight grip on Stots, not doing much with this position. Stots firing off some pop shots, nothing major. Archuleta trying to grab the wrist. Back to the feet, Archuleta still has a hold of Stots. Archuleta trying to get another takedown, Stots showing great defense. Stots able to serrate. Archuleta comes in with a two-punch combo. Archuleta is cut above his left eye. Stots changes levels and gets the takedown. Stots takes Archuleta’s back. “The Spaniard” escapes but Stots gets his back again to close out the round. Close round. 10-9 Archuleta

Round 2: Archuleta opening up and bringing the pressure, Archuleta is swinging with bad intentions here. One-two lands for Stots. Three straight jabs from Archuleta. Nice left hand lands for Archuleta. Kick to the body from Stots. Body shots, upstairs from “The Spaniard.” Archuleta shoots in for the takedown, defended well by Stots. Action up against the fence. Archulete looking for a trip, Stots showing great takedown defense. Stots creating the separation. Archuleta rushes in, Stos changes level and scores a takedown, but Archuleta gets up quickly. Archulete pushes Stots up against the cage, has the double under hooks. Stots is defending well, Archuleta looking for a single leg. Great balance by Stots. Archuleta is relentless, but he isn’t getting the takedown this time around. 10-9 Archuleta

Round 3: Archulete with two straight hooks. Stots unleashes a huge kick out of nowhere and lays out Archuleta! He goes in for the kill and he gets it after a couple follow up shots. WOW! That one came out of nowhere. Upon further review, it was the knee the caught Archuleta. Stots is the new interim Bantamweight champion.

Final result: Stots def. Archuleta via knockout

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs Justine Kish

Round 1: Macfarlane changes levels right away and shoots for the takedown. Defended well by Kish, who now has the “Pineapple Princess” up against the fence. Kish takes her down and they are back up again. Macfarlane now separates and Kish whiffs on a huge left hand on the break. Macfarlne trying to close the distance, find her range. Double jab from the Hawaiian. Feints from Kish, but not a whole lot of action. Right hand upstairs for Macfarlane. Both ladies a bit tentative. One-two lands for Macfarlane. Kish throwing, but catching nothing but air. Nice left hook to the body from Macfarlane, follows it up with a jab. Kish tags Macfarlane with a left hook. Kish is throwing her strikes from a distance, not going to cut it. 10-9 Macfarlane

Round 2: One-two from Kish. Macffarlne lands a sneaky left hand upstairs. Macfarlane shoots for the takedown and Kish has a front choke. It looks tight but Macfarlane falls to her back, forcing Kish to let go. Kish latches it back on and is squeezing hard. Macfarlane seems to be okay here. Kish postures up, she tries to get up but Macfarlane drags her down by one of her legs. She is now looking for an ankle lock, Kish back to her feet. Leg kick by Kish. Macfarlane again goes for the takedown but Kish stuffs it. Knees to the body from Macfarlane and Kish takes her down. Kish now in Macfarlane’s guard. Two minutes remaining. Kish dropping some elbows, nothing lands cleanly. Macfarlane trying t escape, but Kish is holding on tight, dropping some strikes from the top position. Kish gets up, lets her foe up. Odd. Nice left hand lands for Kish. Macfarlane with a right uppercut, counter right from Kish. 10-9 Kish

Round 3: Should be tied at one a piece going into this final round. It’s anyone’s ballgame. Macfarlane opens up with a calf kick. Macfarlane tags Kish with an overhand right. Double jab from the Hawaiian. Kish with a wild swing, catches air again. Kish with a big smile on her face, Macfarlane circling, trying to close the distance. Nice leg kicks from Kish. Macfarlane stuns Kish with a right hand, drops her but Kish manages to somehow grab a hold of her and get the takedown. She is now in side control. Two minutes remaining in the fight. Kish landing body shots, Macfarlane needs to get up. Kish has her in the crucifix and is landing shots to the face. Half guard now for Kish. Full mount for Kish. Macfarlane gives up her back and Kish has an armbar. Omoplata attempt now for Kish. These ladies are now twisted up in an awkward position, Macfarlane scrambles and she has Kish’s back as time runs out. 10-9 Kish

Final result: Kish def. Macfarlane via unanimous decision

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Sports

Bellator 279 Results: Cyborg vs. Blencowe 2

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MMA Fighting has Bellator 279 results for the Cyborg vs. Blencowe 2 fight card from the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii on Saturday night.

In the main event, Bellator featherweight champion Cris Cyborg will square off once again against Arlene Blencowe. Cyborg defeated Blencowe via submission (RNC) in the second round at Bellator 249 on Oct. 15, 2020.

Juan Archuleta and Raufeon Stots, as well as Kyoji Horiguchi and Patchy Mix, will compete in the Bellator bantamweight grand prix quarterfinals.

Check out Bellator 279 results below.

Main card (Showtime LIVE now)

Cris Cyborg vs. Arlene Blencowe

Juan Archuleta vs. Raufeon Stots

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Justine Kish

Patchy Mix def. Kyoji Horiguchi via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)

Yancy Medeiros def. Emmanuel Sanchez by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Prelims

Goiti Yamauchi def. Levan Chokheli by submission (armbar) at 3:49 of R1.

Bobby King def. Keoni Diggs by split decision (29-28, 30-27, 28-29)

Dayana Silva def. Janay Harding by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Lance Gibson Jr. def. Nainoa Dung by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-25, 30-25)

Justin Gonzales def. Kai Kamaka III by split decision (29-28, 30-27, 28-29)

Randi Field vs. Maraya Miller

Ryan Dela Cruz vs. Jordan Winski

Sumiko Inaba vs. Whittany Pyles

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Science

Scientists Create Cyborg Fish Powered by Human Heart Cells

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The term cyborg conjures up images from Star Trek, RoboCop, and even The Six Million Dollar Man, and while we might get there someday, our first attempts at creating biohybrids are a lot simpler, but no less impressive, as demonstrated by this robotic fish powered by human heart cells.

Calling this fish a robot might be a generous description of its capabilities, but like the robot arms in a factory designed to repetitively replicate the movements of a human arm, it’s able to swim through the water like a real fish can, but without any intelligence guiding its path. That wasn’t why the tiny fish automaton was created, however. Instead, researchers at Harvard and Emory University are using it as the groundwork towards growing organic artificial hearts one day.

The fish’s design features a flexible tail that’s covered in a layer of heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes derived from stem cells) on each side. When the cells on one side contract, it pulls the tail in that direction, and when the cells on the other side contract, it pulls the tail in the opposite direction. But what’s particularly interesting about this biohybrid is that the two layers of muscle cells are continuously triggering each other. When one side contracts, it causes the other side to stretch, and the stretching action opens a “mechanosensitive protein channel” that causes that side to contract, which in turn stretches the other side, and the process repeats.

The robo-human-fish also features a simple pacemaker-like mechanism that autonomously regulates the frequency and rhythm of these contractions so the tail has a proper back-and-forth motion to propel it through the water. Without any additional inputs, the muscle cells functioned as a closed-loop system and were able to propel the fish for over 100 days. Furthermore, like the muscles in your body improving with exercise, the biohybrid fish got better and better at swimming as time went on, until it was able to move through the water at speeds similar to a zebrafish.

The prospect of an aquarium full of artificial fish you rarely have to feed is a tempting one for those who are notoriously irresponsible at taking care of pets, but the researchers have loftier goals. Successfully recreating the biophysics of the heart’s function, and the self-sustaining mechanisms that make it endlessly beat, is a huge step towards one day being able to create artificial hearts from the same organic ingredients our bodies use.

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Sports

Bellator 271 results: Cris Cyborg knocks out Sinead Kavanagh, welcomes cageside Kayla Harrison

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Bellator featherweight champ Cris Cyborg threw her team’s gameplan out the window and decided to slug it out with boxer Sinead Kavanagh, slinging leather until she found Kavanagh’s chin and ended the fight in Bellator 271’s headliner.

Kavanagh also found Cyborg’s chin with a left hook. But Cyborg’s right hand was just a little more accurate and knocked out the Irish native at the 1:32 mark of the opening frame at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

“I didn’t do anything my team planned, so sorry,” Cyborg said afterward. “But I feel great about it.”

Check out the finish below.

Afterward, Cyborg said she asked to face Cat Zingano in her next title defense, but welcomed any fight offered by her promoter. As it happened, one intriguing option sat cageside in two-time PFL champ Kayla Harrison, who entered free agency with her latest tournament win.

“Kayla, thank you for coming to the fights,” Cyborg said. “I really appreciate you here. If you want to fight me one day, it’s going to be a great fight, but [Harrison manager] Ali Abdelaziz have to talk to all the promotions to make this happen.”

Cyborg has now defended her title three times after dethroning Julia Budd in her Bellator debut. Kavanagh sees a two-fight winning streak snapped.

Vassell goes out on top against Fortune

Linton Vassell might not have started in top position against Tyrell Fortune. But every time the more experienced collegiate wrestler put him on the mat, he found a way to get there.

Fortune repeatedly blitzed Vassell with overhand hands and flurries of knees inside the clinch. When Vassell survived, he worked to scoop the Brit’s legs, only to find himself on bottom in scrambles. Vassell made the most of his time, advancing to mount or threatening chokes from back control. By the third round, all of the grappling had worn out Fortune, and he gave away position to let Vassell whack away at his head for the final stretch of the fight.

Although one judge awarded Fortune the fight with a 29-28 score, the other two had it for Vasell by the same tally, bringing the U.K. standout his third straight win in the Bellator cage. Long aggrieved by a lack of opportunities, Fortune’s stock takes another hit after earning a three-fight winning streak in the wake of a knockout loss to Timothy Johnson.

Pico sees scorecards for first time

There were only a few moments early on in Aaron Pico’s Bellator 271 appearance when his win was in doubt, and that was when he was playing fast and loose with his techniques against the undefeated Justin Gonzales. A spinning hook kick brought a swift correction from coach Greg Jackson, and that was the end of that – until the last 10 seconds, when the win was in comfortable reach.

Pico again used his primary skillset of wrestling to control Gonzales, who refused to go away but managed to take the young star somewhere he’d never before been: the scorecards. Two judges gave Pico the 30-27 shutout while the third awarded him a 30-26, the result of punishing work at all ranges. Body shots had Gonzales in deep trouble midway through the first, and an elbow visibly rattled him in the second. Chokes were the main threat in the third, but Sanchez did just enough to survive. Only in the first moments of the fight, when he landed a nice overhand right and some stinging leg kicks, was the undefeated fighter in reach of the upset.

Pico showed a fight IQ to go with his powerful punches and takedowns, and despite the length of the engagement showed again his potential in the Bellator cage. With five straight wins, he’ll climb the ranks in his next match, while Gonzales will reset after upsetting Tywan Claxton.

Blencowe peppers Sorenson for decision

For the first two rounds of her featherweight contest with Arlene Blencowe, Pam Sorenson’s main respite from an arrow-straight right hand was the clinch. When she wasn’t able to tie up Blencowe, she took shot after shot with that attack, leaving her left cheek bloody and right brow swollen. By the third round, her persistent wrestling efforts took some of the steam of Blencowe’s punches, making her comfortable enough to slug it out in the final round. She wasn’t going to reverse the trend with low kicks and a few punches, however, and dropped a unanimous decision via scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28.

Full Bellator 271 results:

Cris Cyborg def. Sinead Kavanagh via KO (punches) – Round 1, 1:32

Linton Vassell def. Tyrell Fortune via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Aaron Pico def. Justin Gonzales via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Arlene Blencowe def. Pam Sorenson via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Steve Mowry def. Rakim Cleveland via submission (kimura) – Round 1, 3:28

Bruna Ellen def. Desiree Yanez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Roman Faraldo def. Robert Turnquest via KO (flying knee) – Round 1, 1:17 | Watch finish

Cody Law def. Colton Hamm via KO (strikes) – Round 1, 4:21

Valerie Loureda def. Taylor Turner via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27) | Highlights

Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Muhammed DeReese via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Ethan Hughes def. Mahmoud Sebie via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 4:05

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